Financial, personality differences lead to steak restaurant closing

J. Lane Steak & BBQ, located inside the American Legion Capitol Post 1, 3800 S.E. Michigan, is closed as of Monday. The restaurant had been in business since Aug. 10, 2013.

J. Lane Steak & BBQ is closed as of Monday, and the owner and manager both said they were consulting lawyers.

The restaurant opened Aug. 10, 2013, in American Legion Capitol Post 1, 3800 S.E. Michigan. It was open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., except for Thursdays, when manager Jeff Lane said it would offer dinner theater productions in the bar side of the post building. The arrangement had initially called for Lane to own the restaurant and lease space within the post building, but because of an issue with licensing the post owned the restaurant and Lane operated it as manager, both he and post commander Bernie Lusk said.

Lusk said the post will vote on the future of the restaurant Thursday. Members could choose to close the kitchen, to attempt to find someone to operate it or to let auxiliary members use the kitchen but not operate a restaurant, he said.

Lane and Lusk provided different versions of financial questions leading up to an argument Sunday on Facebook, in which Lane made allegations against the post, Lusk asked him to stop and the two argued until Lusk said he would close the restaurant Monday.

In Lane’s version of events, the post didn’t set up a bank account to hold funds for modernizing the kitchen, some of which Lane said he helped raise. The post voted to open an account in December but decided to wait until the new year, Lane said, but Lusk told him the post would have to take another vote.

Lane also said the post cut his budget for advertising and other expenses and he decided not to open on Friday because he had to pay the staff out of his own pocket.

“What I was asking for was not a mountain. It was piddly,” he said.

In Lusk’s version, the post asked Lane to open a bank account because he wasn’t keeping records of how much he was spending and receiving.

“All he would say is he lost $6,000, but he never came up with receipts,” he said.

Lane said he would open an account after Jan. 1, Lusk said, but he came back asking for $2,500 in start-up money. The post would have to vote on that, Lusk said, but Lane took to Facebook with his complaints and he used his right as commander to close the restaurant.

Lusk also alleged Lane hadn’t paid for utilities and hadn’t returned money lent to him. He also pointed to an exchange Dec. 22 on Facebook between Lane and a former post officer which became heated and touched on unpaid tabs, money that went missing and the former officer’s criminal history.

Lane said he had found out about the former officer’s criminal history in October and noticed other officers’ attitudes changing toward him after he expressed concerns.

Lane previously owned The Fryer Shack, 1221 S.W. Huntoon, but closed it in September, citing crime in the area and the need for remodeling to add better lighting and a security system. He also opened Fryer North at 822 N. Kansas Ave. in April, but that closed over the summer.